When I grow up ...I don’t recall ever wanting to be a princess or planning my wedding when I was younger like so many of my friends. I did, however, want to be Samantha from “Bewitched,” one of the dancing twins on “Double Trouble,” and genie did seem like a potential occupation at one point. I do vividly recall the time someone asked me in front of my mother what I wanted to be when I grew up. I must have been about 7 or 8 years old, and I quickly replied “an ...

$1.80 stops a killerSomewhere, a 19-year-old woman gives birth to a healthy baby. But this joyous event has taken place on the floor of her home. The childbirth has been assisted by a traditional but unskilled birth attendant. The young mother had not been immunized against tetanus. The umbilical cord is cut with an unclean blade. Deadly tetanus spores found in soil everywhere, infect the cord. Within days, tetanus has spread throughout the baby’s body, causing m...

Is the Bible relevant today?Several years ago, a man in Arkansas registered a complaint with the ABC Television network regarding the content of its programming. Apparently his criticism was misdirected to someone who did not officially speak for the network and replied in the following harsh manner. “How about getting your nose out of the Bible (which is only a book of stories compiled by many different writers hundreds of years ago) and read the Declaration of Independ...

Still a dad on top of it allI can see light at the end of the tunnel! Sort of. As I type this, sleep is burning the edges of my eyes (which I should admit is due more to my late-night video game habits — current vice: Minecraft) while I try to do my part in getting this football preview ready for the public. I can’t help but think of the literary magazines I was a part of throughout school, and how hectic it could get closer to deadline. The difference being I’m being pa...

Meth poses societal problem, inconvenienceA front-page story in today’s Courier points out that Arkansas River Valley law enforcement agents are doing a good job of arresting people involved in the sale and distribution (as well as use) of methamphetamine. That’s a good thing. Meth is one of those terribly addictive drugs that causes great havoc in the lives of users. Ask any law enforcement agent or drug rehab counselor, and you’ll hear the same stories about how that particular drug...

‘Squirrelly’ road configuration the causeIt’s been way too long since I’ve been able to peruse the wires and Internet and find something that made me start typing when I first read it. But there is a legitimate reason why a dead raccoon wasn’t removed before a Pennsylvania road crew painted a yellow double line over it. PennDOT spokesman John Ambrosini told the Tribune-Democrat newspaper of Johnston, Penn., that paint crews usually have a foreman on the job who clears away any dead a...

Do we need to be more tolerant?There is much talk today in the media and amongst friends of the need for people to be more tolerant. Tolerance is a word that is defined differently by different people. Webster’s dictionary reflects this difference in meaning. The first definition for tolerance relates to the capacity to endure pain or hardship. The key word here is endure. The second definition is a sympathy for or indulgence of beliefs and practices which are different fro...

Parenting not what it wasAs I was eating at one of Russellville’s finer fast-food establishments this week, I bore witness to some of the more frustrating dregs to society: Wild children running loose, screaming at the top of their lungs, while their parents sat idly, while occasionally asking their child to calm down, but passively ignoring it for the most part. We’ve all seen it. I worked in retail for over four years, it happens all the time. But between thoughts o...

Being scared of that trip to the dentistHave you ever been scared? I’m not talking about the kind of fear that grips a child, but instead, the anxiety and nervousness that can sweep through the body of an adult and causes all rational thought to flee the mind and consciousness. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about: Sweaty palms, a knot in the pit of your stomach, fast-fleeting images that dart through your mind ... Oh yes, there is quite a list of symptoms that come with being scar...

Opposing views of the Chick-fil-A controversyEditor's note — In the Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, edition, The Courier published columns from Grant Merrill and Brandon Brock, both of whom graduated Russellville High School in 2000 and went on to attend Arkansas Tech University, addressing the current controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A and its president Dan Cathy. Cathy was quoted in the July 2 edition of Biblical Reporter, a Southern Baptist publication, saying he endorsed the "biblical definit...

That they might be oneJesus earnestly prayed for his disciples that they may be one (John 17:11). One in Christ, “The expression in Christ epitomizes Paul’s teaching as none other. It or its equivalent is said to occur 165 times in his correspondence” (Morris Inch, In Christ and On Track). Elsewhere, the transition into Christ is expressed as being born again (John 3:3). In the initial instance, concerning physical birth. Subsequently, as regards spiritual birth. A...

Let's just get along and 'Eat Mor Chikin'If there is anything the year 2012 has taught me, it seems that the world we live in is more culturally and politically divided than at any point in the 30 years I’ve roamed the Earth. The truth is, it has probably always been as divided as it is now, but with social media fueling every news story that comes out and giving anyone the ability to express their opinions to thousands, the public debate is more public than ever before. Chick-fil-A ...

Talking turkey about Chick-fil-AI’m sure it’s Chick-fil-A’s pleasure to serve its customers. That’s called retail. Working in a similar industry where I interact with customers, the very nature of our role is kindness and respect: That’s expected for every customer regardless of who they are. No one was shocked when Dan Cathy announced he was against gay marriage. The uproar over Chick-fil-A isn’t in response to last week’s “announcement.” The LGBT community and the “liberal...

Standing in aweThere aren’t enough column inches available for me to convey all the emotions and thoughts running through my mind after witnessing the Ola fire for several hours Wednesday evening. I’m still in a state of awe. When I arrived at 6 p.m., the scene reminded me of a World War II movie — planes were flying overhead, and there was smoke everywhere. Emergency-response vehicles were driving up and down State Highway 10. It didn’t look real. The smell...

Fire volunteers deserve thanksThis week 1,200 residents near Ola were evacuated from their homes as wildfires threatened their safety. Our Forestry Commission firefighters and volunteer departments in Yell County have been working expeditiously in this heat to contain the blaze. Unfortunately, Yell County is not their only concern. Every county in our state is now classified as high wildfire danger area. The Forestry Commission reports there were 324 fires in the month of ...

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State Rep. John CatlettThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Aurora victims rememberedLast Tuesday, I had the honor of presiding over the U.S. House of Representatives during a voting series. In the middle of the vote, Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado asked to speak out of order, and I recognized him. He asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the recent Aurora, Colo., shooting, and a typically noisy chamber became “pin-drop” silent as we paid our respects. Coincidentally, two days later, I was back in the ...

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U.S. Rep. Steve WomackThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

A new perspective on thankfulnessMy family got a lesson in thankfulness this week and our cup overfloweth! Let the peace of God rule in your hearts — and be ye thankful. Colossians 3:15. KJV A week ago on Tuesday afternoon my husband called me at about 6:15 p.m. to tell me he would be late getting home. He said “there has been a bad wreck on State Highway 7.” I told him I had only just put in dinner, so it would not be a problem. He hesitated, then said “you might have to com...

Gizmos and gadgets: the future is hereConsidering how many times I’ve heard someone joke that it’s 2012 and they want to know where their flying car is, people must not feel that we are quite living up to the standard of technology set for us in the science fiction of the past. It’s easy to feel that way when you look around. In Back to the Future 2, for example, when Marty Mcfly arrives in the year 2015—he steals a hover board, has shoes that lace themselves, and rides in flying ...

Making sense of senseless shootingOn this Sunday morning, I’m here to help you make sense of the senseless shooting that happened in Colorado early Friday at a movie theater that left a dozen people dead and several dozen more wounded. OK, I’m probably not going to help you understand what this was all about because I, like everyone else, don’t have a clue as to what motivates a person to do the things this shooter did. I’ve thought a lot in recent days as I’ve read and watche...

Scare tactics by natural gas industryThe full-page ad paid for by the Natural Gas Industry printed in the July 3 edition of The Courier making a personal attack on Russellville Mayor Bill Eaton for his support of an increase in severance tax is a disgrace to the gas industry and an insult to all citizens of Arkansas. It brings the greediness of the industry out of the shadows into the light of day. The gas industry seems to believe that we Arkansans are not capable of thinking fo...